Every Serious Seller Should See Three CMAs Before Signing

You are ready to sell your Staten Island home.

You have a Realtor you like. Or a friend recommended one. Or someone knocked on your door with a hot pitch.

They gave you a CMA. It looks reasonable. Your instinct is to sign.

Do not sign yet.

Every serious seller should see three CMAs before signing a listing agreement. Not one. Not two. Three.

Let me tell you why.

I am Allison Mireau with Real Connect Group.

What a CMA actually is

A Comparative Market Analysis. A Realtor's read on what your home is worth right now.

• Based on recent comparable sales

• Adjusted for your home's specific features

• Reflects current market conditions

• Comes with a recommended list price range

A CMA is not an appraisal. It is a professional opinion of value. And professional opinions vary.

Why one CMA is not enough

One Realtor gives you their read. That is data. Not truth.

• You do not know if their comps are the right comps

• You do not know if their adjustments are honest

• You do not know if their price is realistic or a pitch

• You do not know how it compares to what other pros in your market see

Signing off one CMA is like getting a second opinion by asking the same doctor twice.

Why three CMAs is the sweet spot

Three gives you the pattern. Not too few. Not too many.

• Three Realtors independently value your home

• Two usually cluster around similar numbers

• One is usually the outlier — high or low

• The pattern tells you the honest range

The honest market value is almost always where two of the three CMAs converge. The outlier is either the pitch or the pessimist.

What the three CMAs typically look like

Here is the pattern I see over and over.

The Realtor Who Wants the Listing

• Highest price

• Often 5 to 12 percent above realistic value

• Sells you on a fantasy number

• Plans to push for reductions once they have the contract

• Very common in competitive listing markets

Watch for: the number that made you smile the widest. That is often the pitch, not the plan.

The Honest Read

• Middle price

• Grounded in real comps

• Explains the reasoning clearly

• Shows the range, not just a number

• Prepared to defend the price to a buyer

Watch for: the Realtor who walked your specific home, showed you comps you could verify, and explained trade-offs honestly.

The Cautious Read

• Lowest price

• Sometimes just conservative

• Sometimes reflects real condition or market concerns you should hear

• May be trying to guarantee a fast sale

• May be flagging something the higher CMAs ignored

Watch for: what specifically is driving the number lower. Sometimes cautious reads catch real issues.

The two-out-of-three rule

Here is how you actually use three CMAs.

• If two cluster and one is high — the high one is the pitch

• If two cluster and one is low — the low one may be flagging something, dig in

• If all three cluster — you have a very tight read on value, price with confidence

• If all three are wildly different — something is unusual about your home, ask more questions

The cluster is the market. The outlier is the story.

What each CMA should include

Do not accept a single-page price number. A real CMA includes:

• Three to six actual comparable sales with addresses, sale dates, sale prices

• Adjustments for differences (square footage, bedrooms, condition, lot size, location)

• Active listings you are competing with

• Pending sales if available

• Days on market for comps

• Recommended list price range — not just one number

• Recommended strategy — where to price within the range

If a Realtor hands you a one-line number with no data, that is not a CMA. That is a guess.

How to get three CMAs without wasting anyone's time

Be honest and efficient.

• Interview three Realtors in the same two-week window

• Tell each one upfront you are interviewing multiple Realtors

• Give each the same walkthrough — same rooms, same details

• Ask each the same questions — pricing, marketing, timeline, commission

• Compare the three CMAs side by side — numbers, comps, reasoning

• Decide based on the full picture — not just the highest number

Every serious Realtor expects to be interviewed. The ones who pressure you to skip the process are telling you something.

What to compare beyond the price

The price is one input. The full picture includes:

• Comp quality — did they use the right comps

• Marketing plan — professional photos, video, drone, floor plan, open house strategy

• Communication style — do they call, text, email, and how quickly

• Team and support — solo agent or team, transaction coordinator, staging vendor

• Recent track record — how many similar homes have they sold in the past year

• Neighborhood knowledge — can they name recent sales on your street from memory

• Honest read on condition — did they tell you the truth about what needs work

• Reference checks — will they give you names of recent sellers to call

The best CMA in the world does not matter if the Realtor cannot execute the marketing and negotiation.

Red flags in a CMA conversation

• Pressure to sign immediately — "this price is only good this week"

• Refusal to explain comps — vague answers about how they arrived at the number

• No written CMA document — verbal pricing is not a CMA

• Way higher than the others with no data to support it

• Way lower than the others with no explanation

• Pushback when you say you are interviewing others

• Cannot show recent sales in your specific neighborhood

• Cannot provide references

Any of these should make you pause. Multiple of them should make you walk.

What to do with the three CMAs in hand

Sit down with all three. Compare honestly.

• Circle the middle number — usually the closest to actual value

• Ask why the outliers are different — data or opinion

• Check the comps yourself — most MLS sold data is public

• Rank the Realtors on marketing and communication — not just price

• Pick the Realtor whose full package fits your goals — not just the highest number

The right Realtor may or may not be the one with the highest CMA. Often, they are the one with the honest CMA and the strongest execution plan.

Why the highest CMA is often the worst choice

The math is brutal.

• Realtor A says $780,000. You sign. Home sits 60 days. Reduces to $735,000. Reduces to $710,000. Sells for $685,000.

• Realtor B said $710,000 from day one. You would have listed at $710,000. Sold in two weeks at $712,000.

Same home. Same market. Different Realtors. $27,000 difference in outcome — plus 40 extra days of carrying costs.

The highest CMA is a pitch, not a price.

When one CMA is enough

Honest carve-out. Sometimes you already know.

• You have worked with the Realtor before and trust their read

• You are in a very unique home with limited comps and the Realtor is a true specialist

• The referral is from someone whose judgment you trust deeply

• You have a strong ongoing relationship built over years

Even then, a second opinion often surfaces something worth hearing.

What I bring to a CMA conversation

When I sit down with a potential seller, I bring:

• A written CMA with specific comps and adjustments

• A recommended price range, not a single number

• A marketing plan tailored to your specific home

• An estimated seller net sheet

• A sample listing agreement to read in advance

• Honest answers to every question you have

• No pressure to sign that day

I want you to interview other Realtors. I want you to see the pattern. If my read is honest, it will hold up next to two others.

If it does not, you are better off knowing that before you sign anything.

What I will not pretend to advise on

I am not an appraiser, attorney, or CPA. For formal appraisals, legal questions about the listing agreement, or tax specifics, talk to the right professional. I can refer trusted ones.

All of our work follows the Fair Housing Act, RESPA, the NAR Code of Ethics, and the real estate commission guidelines for New York and New Jersey.

Before you sign

Get three CMAs. Compare the numbers, the comps, the reasoning, and the marketing plans.

Then choose the Realtor whose full package protects your outcome.

The 30 minutes it takes to interview two extra Realtors is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy on a six-figure sale.

Have questions about selling your home or relocating? Reach out to Allison today.

Call: 646.266.0188
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.statenislandtonewjersey.com

Contact Allison today to sell your home in SI.